Chapter 32
32
We need to talk, Anna
Please, can you talk to me?
Tell me what to do, Anna. I want to fix us
I miss you so much
I’m sorry, Anna
H e’d been relentlessly texting and calling for a few days now. Thus far, Ananya had ignored him. She was serious when she’d told him that she wasn’t going to be with him again. Being with him had caused her years of pain. He and she weren’t good together, and this baby deserved the best, even if that meant its parents weren’t together. Mihir and she were done. Yet, that didn’t stop her from rereading his texts.
Are you able to eat? I read in a pregnancy book that the initial months can be hard. Are you nauseous or in pain?
He’d sent her a picture of him holding the said book. Even now, she was smiling at the picture. Mihir sending her a selfie was so out of the realm of her imagination. She knew how much he hated clicking pictures. More texts followed.
Hope you’re feeling good today
It’s been a week. Please talk to me. I miss you
Can I come with you when you go to see your doctor?
She hadn’t gone to a doctor yet, but she had taken an appointment for this week. She had to start on whatever vitamins they prescribed.
She looked back at her laptop. Only two weeks remained for Noir’s anniversary issue to be out, and yesterday, Mihir had sent her the most shocking text.
I’m okay to do a photoshoot for the Noir interview, if that’s still an option
He had definitely caught her attention with that. She knew how he hated having his photos taken. And now, he was agreeing to a full-fledged photoshoot. It was huge. She’d texted him back immediately.
Are you sure?
Finally. I knew that would get your attention. And yes, I am sure
Ananya: If you do this, then I’ll put you on the front page and the centerfold. So, think again
I want to be at the front and center of your life. So this is nothing. Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there
She hadn’t responded after that. She’d immediately organized the photoshoot. Her assistant had arranged everything with Mihir. Ananya checked the time on her phone. The photoshoot was happening right now at The Komobay Beach Bar . Avantika’s family owned this restaurant, and since Avantika was the photographer in charge, it made sense to do it at a location of her choosing.
Her phone beeped. It was her sisters on their chat group. They, too, were worried about her, and they had tried to meet her as well. So far, she’d put them off by telling them she needed a little more time to come to terms with everything. As expected, they were giving her the space she needed.
She still hadn’t told anyone else about the baby. Sheena would support her for sure. Her parents would definitely be upset, but knowing them, she was confident that they would support her too. Rajiv was the only one whose reaction she feared the most. He would go ballistic once he learned that Mihir was the father of her baby. He’d first want to hurt Mihir and then talk. That scenario was awful. It would ruin Rajiv’s friendship with Mihir. But she couldn’t keep him in the dark forever. She’d have to tell all of them soon.
Her phone beeped. She frowned when she saw a message from Avantika.
Mihir is refusing to do the photoshoot
She replied back immediately.
What? Why?
He says he’ll do it only if you’re here
Bloody fucking hell
Well, if you want the shoot to be done, you better get here. I don’t have all day to deal with your lovers’ quarrel
It’s not like that
We’ll talk about that later. Get your ass down here ASAP
Gathering her bag, Ananya hurried out of her office. What was wrong with Mihir? She’d organized this shoot only after his concurrence. Why the hell was he behaving difficult now? She had to go find out and give him a piece of her mind.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Ananya reached the area by the beach that Avi had chosen for the shoot. Through the glass windows, she could see everything had already been set up.
She opened the doors and stepped into the late evening sunlight. Squinting, she looked this way and that, and finally found Mihir standing by a tall table, working on his laptop. He was dressed in a charcoal gray suit, black shirt, and a black tie. Black aviator glasses sat on his nose, and his hair was styled back. Even though she was mad at him, she couldn’t deny how hot he looked. His pictures would come out fabulous, she was certain. That is, once she got him to do the shoot.
From the side, she saw Avantika approaching her, a glass of iced latte in her hand.
“You’re here, good!” Avi offered her the coffee. “You sounded mad in the text earlier, so I got this ready for you.”
Ananya grimaced. “Um, not today.”
“Huh, you’re saying no to a chilled latte?” Avi shook her head, setting the coffee glass on the table beside them.
Her friend didn’t know she was carrying a baby, and hence, was off caffeine.
“So,” Avi tipped her head toward Mihir. “Care to tell me what his tantrum is about?”
Ananya sighed. “It’s a long story.”
Mihir looked up from his laptop. Seeing her standing with Avi, his face broke out into a huge smile. He pocketed his glasses and winked at her. She wanted to hit him. He’d caused so much inconvenience for everyone just for her to come here.
Ananya scowled. His smile widened.
Avi laughed. “Considering that he’s disrupted my schedule by over an hour, only so you could come here, I think I need to know more. So, speak fast.”
“Won’t you get late?” Ananya asked.
“Your man can wait a little bit.”
“He’s not my man.”
“You sure about that?” Avi asked. “From the way he’s staring at you, he certainly seems to think otherwise.”
“Oh God, Avi.”
Avi gave her a pointed look. “Talk.”
Ananya ran a weary hand through her hair.
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted. She was so tired of dealing with this news by herself. She’d driven herself insane over the last few days, worrying about the baby, about herself, and about their future. And Mihir’s part in it.
She should have gone to Avantika first. Her friend had been in a similar situation at one time.
Avantika’s eyes widened, and then she exhaled. “I so did not expect you to say that . That does explain why you’re not having the coffee, though.” Avi looked at Mihir. “So, it’s his.”
“I could have been with someone else, you know,” Ananya said weakly.
Avi glared at her. “Oh, please. Just from the way he’s looking at you, I can safely say it’s his, and that he knows.”
She sighed. “It’s his, and he knows.”
“Oh boy…” Avantika said slowly. Taking Ananya’s hand in hers, Avi squeezed her fingers. “Tell me everything. I’m here for you, and you know I’ll never judge.”
And so she did. For the first time in her life, she told her whole story, the past and the present, to another person. Avi listened to her raptly, asking a few questions here and there. When she was done telling Avi everything, Ananya felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
“Are you keeping the baby?” Avantika asked.
“I am…” Ananya looked at their joined hands. “When I returned from Moscow, I was so heartbroken and miserable. I kept telling myself that it was better I’d ended everything with him. That now I could move on in life. But that never gave me any hope. However, this baby… it has filled my whole heart with hope and happiness. I have so much to look forward to now.”
Avantika gave her a mischievous smile. “I guess seeing other men for an arranged marriage is not happening now.”
“Uff, how do you know about that?”
“Rajiv said your parents are looking at prospective grooms for you.”
It was true. On her return, her parents kept hinting that they wanted her to meet some of the men they had in mind for her. So far, she hadn’t agreed, although she had considered the option. But now…
Ananya rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s not happening now.”
“Does everyone in your family know?” Avi asked.
“My sisters only know about the baby. They don’t know anything else. I will tell my family soon, at least about the baby.”
“I can’t believe you’ve kept your marriage a secret for seven years,” Avi said.
“It doesn’t even matter now; it’s over.”
“Is it?” Avi asked carefully. “This baby will tie you to him forever, you know.”
She looked at her friend. “I’m scared, Avi.”
Avantika wrapped her arms around her. “I know. I was too, when I learned I was pregnant with Neil, and that it was Dev’s child. You know my screwed-up history with the man. It took us twelve years to figure it all out.”
“But he’d loved you throughout.”
“And I’d hated him throughout. At least, I’d convinced myself I did,” Avantika said. “If Mihir says he wants to get back with you, then why don’t you give him a chance?”
“You’re asking me to do this, despite knowing how much he’s hated me in the past?”
“The line between love and hate is extremely thin, Ananya.” Avi gave her a sad smile. “Look, you don’t need to decide anything today. Just remember that if you love him, and if you are truly convinced that he regrets everything that happened in the past, then forgive him. You weren’t the only one that fellow Zeeshan betrayed. Mihir was a victim too. Yes, he should have spoken to you and cleared things. The problem, Ananya, is that when one is hurt badly, that hurt doesn’t allow us to see a situation from a different angle. You only see your own hurt and what you lost in the process. I know, because that’s exactly what I did with Dev, and that’s why I get where Mihir is coming from. He suffered too. Don’t forget that.”
Avantika looked at the sky. “The light is perfect right now. I have to finish this. But think about what I said, okay? And remember that I will be there to help you with this baby, no matter what.”
Giving her a smile, Avantika went to get her camera. Her friend had left her with more questions than before. Ananya knew of Avi’s stormy history with Dev. But Mihir and she were not like that. She was still so angry at him for everything he’d put her through.
Mihir appeared in front of her, a smile painted on his face.
“What do you want?” she queried angrily. “Why did you need me to be here?”
His eyes raked over her slowly, as if assessing she was fine. “I wanted to see you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “And throwing a tantrum was the best way for you to do that?”
“You’ve been ignoring my calls and texts, Anna,” he said. “How else do I get to see if you’re doing alright? I was desperate to see you, so I did what I could to bring you to me.”
She spread her arms out. “Now you’ve seen me, so go ahead and stand there for the damn shoot. My friend can’t wait forever.”
He chuckled. “You’re so bossy.”
She threw him a dark look.
“Alright, alright, I’m going.”
She watched Mihir walk over to Avantika. Avi told him where to stand and at which angle. Ananya watched him pose for several minutes, and her forehead wrinkled. Mihir looked flustered, his poses stiff and awkward, and by the way he kept rubbing his scar, it looked like he was damn uncomfortable doing the photoshoot.
Her heart lurched. Mihir had always kept himself hidden from the world, and to a large extent it had been because of the scar, and yet he was here—facing his insecurities—for her. Because he knew, all too well, that once his photos appeared in Noir, the world would go crazy, and Noir’s anniversary edition would be the hottest issue to hit the stands everywhere.
She went to him, marching right onto the set. His surprised eyes landed on her.
“You agreed to do this photoshoot knowing that it would be hard on you?” she asked.
“I did it for you. You told me in Moscow that my scar doesn’t define who I am. You were right. I’ve let it and the past pull me down for far too long. But now, I want to rise above it. Step one is to come out of the shadows and show the world who I truly am.” He grimaced. “What I didn’t expect was for step one to be this hard.”
“Is it because of the scar?” she asked gently.
His throat worked, and he lowered his chin in a nod.
Seeing him feel insecure twisted something inside her. She ran a hand down his scar. “This is a reminder of your resilience and your survival. You ought to wear it with pride.”
She turned to the front and signaled Avi to come to them.
Avi alternated her gaze between Mihir to her. “Your lover boy is too conscious, Ananya.”
“That’s because of his scar,” Ananya replied.
Avi’s eyes widened. She addressed Mihir. “You were all awkward and stiff because of the scar?”
Mihir sighed. “Yes.”
Avi held her right arm out. Her sleeveless t-shirt revealed all her tattoos. She continued, “Do you know that my ink hides hundreds of tiny scars? They go all the way up to my neck.”
Horror filled Mihir’s eyes. “Fuck.”
“She’s not telling you this to be sorry for her,” Ananya said. “She’s showing you how she’s turned her wounds into something beautiful. That even though she was hurt, she’s moved past it and forged it into something better.”
Avi addressed Mihir. “Only you can decide whether your scar will weigh you down for the rest of your life or stand as a battle wound—a mark that says you were there, you fought, and you survived. Not everyone could have made it out of what you went through… but you did.”
“Own it, Mihir,” Ananya added. “Show the world that Mihir Oshnov bows to nothing and no one.”
Mihir inhaled sharply. His back straightened, and his jaw lifted.
He looked at Avi. “Shall we try again?”
Ananya moved to the side as Avi began firing instructions. Across the distance, Mihir’s eyes met hers. His gaze was stronger, steadier, before he focused on Avi. He looked up, down, to the side, hands in his pockets, then one hand on his tie as he looked straight into the camera.
Fuck. He was splendid. Poise and grace oozed out of him. Mihir had always been bold. His effortless confidence had turned heads wherever he went. But now, something was different. The weight that once lingered in his eyes was replaced by a quiet fire. He stood taller, freer—no longer caged by the scar.
Pride filled her chest to see him like this. Mihir was already so magnetic… But now he was more.
She sighed. She was supposed to be getting over him, not ogling him like she was. Still, her eyes remained on him for the remainder of the shoot.
About half an hour later, Mihir returned to her.
“Thank you, for earlier,” Mihir said. “You knew exactly how to make me feel better. I thanked Avantika as well.”
Ananya nodded.
He tilted his head to the side and gave her a cocky smile. “I’m glad to see you were so affected by my discomfort. I like knowing that you care for me, Anna.”
Even she couldn’t deny that she hadn’t liked him not being himself. And the awful man knew it, and was now teasing her about it.
She glared at him. “Wipe that arrogant smile off your face. I still have to write your story. I can make you look very bad.”
“You can tell the world whatever you want to about me,” Mihir said. “I have faith you will tell my story well.”
“Or I could paint you as the villain,” she snapped.
He winced. “I leave it you, Anna. I already told you I don’t want to read the interview beforehand. I’ll wait to see your final version, and thus your verdict on me.”
She saw the sincerity in his eyes. It confused her already scrambled brain. She chewed her lip. What was she going to do about him?
“Earlier, you said step one was to come out of the shadows,” she said instead. “What’s step two and three?”
As usual, her curiosity about him was limitless.
“All the next steps involve getting you to forgive me.”
“That will never happen.” She clucked her tongue. “Nothing you say or do will change my mind about where I stand on this situation between us.”
“I know you are mad at me, and rightly so, because I behaved like an ass. I’ve thought about what you said, and you were right. I was insecure that I had gotten so lucky. I should have believed in your love for me, but I didn’t. I can’t tell you how much I regret that. I am so sorry, Anna. I made a terrible mistake.”
She rolled her eyes. “This topic has been beaten to death. We are over, Mihir. Why don’t you get it?”
“We will never be over, Anna,” he said firmly. “It may take days, months, or even years, but I will make you mine again. You belong with me. You and my baby both.”
He raised his palm to cup her face, and she backed a step. Hurt flashed on his face, but she ignored it.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Are you alright? Is the baby fine?”
“Yes,” she snapped.
At one time, she would have welcomed all this care and concern from him. Now, it was making her cranky as hell.
“You need to see a doctor, Anna,” he said. “I know you’ve been working nonstop and haven’t visited one yet.”
Of course, he’d kept track of every movement of hers. He had Anton and Lenin still following her everywhere.
“Mihir, just stop,” she said, putting her hands out. “You need to let me be. I don’t want you involved in anything concerning me.”
He shook his head. “I can’t do that, Anna. I will be a part of my baby’s life. My baby will know that he or she has a loving father, someone who’d burn the world to ashes for them.”
His intensity warmed something inside her chest. Annoyed with herself for letting him make her feel like this, she yelled, “You’re just too fucking much. I can’t deal with you right now.”
Whirling around, she tried to move away from him, but he caught her elbow, pulling her to him. “Anna?—”
“Is he bothering you?” A loud voice said from her right.
Ananya turned to find Avantika’s husband, Dev Luthra, standing with his arms crossed on his chest, watching Mihir and her.
Shrugging away from Mihir, she went to the other man. “Dev, hi. I’m so happy to see you.”
Dev drew her into a hug. “How are you? Where have you been for so long?”
“I’m just busy, working as usual…” She gave him a warm smile.
Then he turned his gaze on Mihir. “Who is he? Do you want me to get rid of him, Anna ?”
Fuck. Dev never called her Anna—which meant he was here only to create mischief.
She sneaked a glance at Mihir. Sure enough, his entire demeanor had changed. His body had stiffened, and his eyes were cold, dark, and dangerous.
“Who is he?” Mihir asked, his tone dripping with fury. “And why the fuck is he calling you Anna?”
“What say, Anna ? Shall I throw him off my property?” Dev put an arm around her, throwing Mihir a devilish smile.
Oh no.
Mihir stormed closer to her, his eyes on Dev. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Dev Luthra. I own this place. Who are you ?”
A flicker of recognition lit up Mihir’s face. Dev was a good friend of Rajiv and an eminent businessman. Of course, Mihir would know him, or of him.
Mihir’s face hardened. “My name is Mihir Oshnov, and if you don’t stop touching my wife , I’m going to break your hand.”
Dev looked at Ananya, one eyebrow raised. “Wife? I didn’t know that.” Then to Mihir, he said. “Go on, I’d like to see you try.”
Mihir took an angry step toward Dev, but Ananya blocked him, pushing him back.
“Your wife ?” Ananya stormed. “I’m not your wife.”
Mihir’s angry eyes moved from Dev to her… and warmed. “I have a piece of paper that says otherwise, Anna.”
It annoyed her that he was throwing her own words back at her.
She put her hands on her hips. “Why are you lying?”
“I never lie.”
“I signed the divorce papers.”
“You did. I didn’t.”
“What?” she gasped.
Avantika had now come to stand beside Dev.
“Do you need help, Anna ?” Dev said naughtily.
Mihir’s gaze returned to Dev. “I swear if he doesn’t stop calling you Anna, I will break his mouth.”
“Stop reacting to him!” Ananya tipped her head towards Avantika. “Dev’s married to her, and he’s crazy about her. He’s just deliberately provoking you. Ignore him.”
Her words did nothing to dim the fury in Mihir’s eyes. She ignored it, and him. She had more pressing issues on hand.
“Explain the divorce papers,” she ordered.
“I told you that even before I heard everything Zeeshan said, I’d wanted to talk to you. I was going to figure out how we could work things out between us. I couldn’t sign the papers, Anna. I cannot live without you. The time we spent together in Moscow made me realize that.”
Her eyes widened. “So, we’re still married?”
“Yes, we are still married.” Mihir grinned, and then he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Our baby is not illegitimate.”
“I don’t care if the baby is legitimate or not,” Ananya roared. “This is my baby, and that’s what matters. We are ending this marriage ASAP.”
“Absolutely not,” Mihir countered. “We are staying married.”
“What?” Three loud voices screeched at the same time.
Ananya swiveled and found Sheena, Navya, and Reina standing next to Avantika, their jaws open and their eyes filled with shock.
“You guys are married ?” Reina choked out.
“And there’s a baby ?” Sheena looked at Avantika, who refused to meet her gaze.
Bloody fucking hell.
This was not how she wanted her family to find out. Tears filled her eyes.
Mihir held her arms, his eyes filled with concern. “Why are you crying?”
She swatted at her tears angrily. “Because I’m pregnant, you fool, and I’m still married to an ass like you. And now everyone knows about it, and I didn’t want them to find out like this.”
“Step away from her,” Sheena ordered.
Mihir moved to stand in front of Ananya. “No.”
“You will not like the consequences of this,” Sheena warned, her tone unrelenting.
“No one dare separate me from her,” Mihir retaliated. “Not when she’s upset like this.”
Ananya put her hands up.
“Stop. All of you.” She looked at Sheena and her sisters. “Why are you all here?”
“Avi told me that Mihir was doing a photoshoot with her for Noir,” Sheena said. “None of us could believe it. So we came to see for ourselves, only to hear your grand announcement. We need to talk, Ananya.”
Ananya turned to Mihir. “Just when I think I have a handle on my life, you come and ruin everything.”
A wrinkle formed between his brows. She put a hand up to stop him from saying anything. “Not a word, Mihir. If you really care about me as you claim, then stop messaging me and stop calling me. I need space from you.”
Spinning around, she took Sheena’s arm and dragged her away from the scene. Her sisters followed. Now, she had the difficult task of explaining everything to all of them. While her sisters knew about the baby, none of them had known about her marriage to Mihir—a marriage she thought was over, but turns out, it wasn’t.
Oh God. Why was he still married to her? Was it a new form of revenge? And what did that mean for the baby?
Too many questions swirled in her head. What was she going to do now?